


Twisted Visages

by PaladinAstarte



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Body Horror, Brainwashing, Corruption, Evil Qrow, F/M, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Qrow Branwen-centric, Supernatural Elements, Torture, Volume 3 (RWBY), but tis a motivator, relationship isn't priority of the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:41:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29917065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaladinAstarte/pseuds/PaladinAstarte
Summary: "They had reason to assume you'd been compromised!"Winter's accusation was hard, but true. Theirs fear entirely justified.But that accusation raises a new question: Just who holds Qrow's leash now? And what are their intentions for the good Kingdom of Vale?
Relationships: Blake Belladonna & Ruby Rose & Weiss Schnee & Yang Xiao Long, Mercury Black & Cinder Fall & Emerald Sustrai, Qrow Branwen & Glynda Goodwitch, Qrow Branwen & James Ironwood, Qrow Branwen & Ozpin, Qrow Branwen & Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/Summer Rose
Kudos: 6





	1. Return

Winter Schnee stalked back and forth in the Ozpin's office, her heels making loud echoing clacks with every step. Ironwood kept his irritation and composure far better than the young specialist did as they waited.

Over her life, Winter had dealt with her fair share of humiliation in the past, but to be... Winter loathed to use the term 'bested'. That arrogant braggart was drunk and it seemed his singular purpose was to get under her skin, to make her lose her composure in front of the civilians. In front of her superior office.

Was he _trying_ to sow discord among them? 

Even in her furious impatience, Winter's pace still marched in time with a beat. In this case, the constant rotating of the gears embedded into Ozpin's ceiling and floor, visible through the glass. The elevator chime ended their waiting, and the door swished open to reveal the object of their irritation, flanked by Headmaster Ozpin and Deputy-Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch.

"Well?!" Winter barked, utterly incredulous when Qrow simply flashed a cheeky smirk.

"Something you draw water from. Next question." Qrow answered as he, Glynda and Ozpin crossed the room. Glynda to assume a spot by Ozpin's desk and Ozpin to assume his chair, chin resting on his folded hands.

"What were you thinking?!" Winter demanded.

The Huntsman ignored her in favour of his flask.

"If you were one of my men, I'd have you shot!" Ironwood snapped.

The Huntsman rolled his eyes. "If I was one of your men, I'd gladly shoot myself."

"While I wouldn't condone his behavior," Goodwitch gave Qrow a good glare which he also ignored, "Retaliating the way you have certainly didn't help matters. Were you _trying_ to spark an international incident with that infantile display back there?" Glynda chastised.

"He was drunk!" Winter protested in her defense.

"He's always drunk." Glynda brushed off, casting another glare towards Qrow as he knocked back the contents of his hip flask without a care in the world.

"Why, oh why, am I drunk I wonder?" Qrow mused philosophically, pulling his flask back and running his thumb over the embossed leather in mock contemplation. "Is it because I like the taste? I like the buzz and I enjoy fucking with people for a laugh? Is it just existential dread? Or is it because we're fighting a super secret war against the literal devil herself? With a vast assortment of Grimm under her command? All of whom I should mention are dead set on murdering everything on the face of this planet?"

Winter frowned, confused for a moment before she --

"Schnee. _Leave_. Now. We'll discuss this matter later." Ironwood's tone was iron, brooking no argument.

"But sir-"

"I gave you an order, Lieutenant." The General growled.

Winter Schnee's protest died on her tongue. Instead she promptly saluted, turned face and left. On her way out, she sent an extremely bitter glare towards Qrow who simply winked at her in return.

"How dare you-!" Ironwood's rage spiked.

"If you didn't want your precious runaway heiress in the know, then maybe think twice before inviting her to the adult's table next time." Qrow shot back, nonplussed and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to the elevator. "Who even invited her, anyway?"

" **_Qrow_ **..." Ozpin had reached his limit and sighed in exasperation, head hung in his hand before he looked his spymaster in the eye. "Why are you here? Your assignment--"

Ironwood cut in. "You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field!"

Qrow snorted derisively, glaring at the General while pointing a finger to Ozpin. "Do I _look_ like one of your cheerleaders, Jimmy? Last I checked, you're not the one signing my pay cheques. Listen, you sent me to get Intel on the bad guys, and I hate to break it to you but the bad guys are already here."

Gylnda nodded grimly, "We know." 

Qrow's voice rose in irritation, "Oh! Oh you already know? Well, thank the gods I'm out there risking my life to keep all of you 'informed'!"

"We had reason to assume you'd been compromised." Ironwood stated coldly, his manner unyielding.

"And, who the hell put you in charge?" Qrow cut back hard, "As just established; I do not and will not ever work for you, James. That's not your call to make."

"Qrow-!"

"Communication's a two-way street pal. See, if you look here on your scroll - point it out with me here - see that little button right there?" Qrow pulled his black and gold scroll from his pocket and rather patronizingly pointed towards it. "It's called the 'send' button!"

"Alright, enough!" Glynda Goodwitch cut in, putting herself between the two men and pushing them apart. She carried the tone of a strict authoritarian. "We'll be trapped in this office _forever_ if you two keep this up. So, instead of continuing this dick-measuring contest, why not fill us in on your report Qrow?"

Ironwood met Glynda's challenging gaze evenly. Qrow, true to form, clearly couldn't care less either way. The General backed down and the Spy slipped his flask into his pocket.

"Fine then. Go on." Ironwood prompted through gritted teeth.

"Your little infiltrator? They're not just some pawn. They're the one who stole Autumn." Qrow explained, brow furrowing. "So, yes. I've been offline. Because I've been off the grid. Trying to track down and _end_ the pretentious little thief, before she traipses her way into our little treasure trove and kills us all."

"What?" Glynda balked, "You're certain?"

"Wouldn't have said so if I wasn't."

Ironwood tapped a finger against his arm. "When you failed to check in, we found Amber's body and signs of a struggle. But you vanished. Care to explain your version of events?"

"Didn't you just hear a word I said?" Qrow snapped, "I wish I could've given her a proper burial, but I'm sorry to say funeral rites are a little low on the priorities list when someone's pissed off with a key to one of the cosmic reset buttons. By hey, shame on me for being more concerned with keeping us all alive than paying respects, right?"

"And not because you wanted revenge for your charge, I assume?" Glynda muttered under her breath.

"Enough of that. Maybe you can answer me something, James. Tell me, do I have to explain to you what the definition of 'subtlety' is? Or secrecy? Or is it just a completely foreign concept? If it is, then I promise I'll use small words to explain it - just for you." Qrow glared at the man.

"I'm sure you'll reach your point eventually, so why don't we skip the usual repartee?" Ironwood cut in.

"We're the ones who protect the world from the unknown, the shadows that combat the evils that go bump in the night, and its why we meet behind closed doors. Why we take so many pains to keep ourselves hidden. So you tell me, James. When you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet or did you just not give a damn?"

"Discreet wasn't working." Ironwood dismissed, placing his scroll on the table. The holographic projector showed a map of the City of Vale, the Amity Arena and the air fleet in a protective formation. "I'm here because this is what was necessary."

"You claim that, but 'discreet' doesn't work because you don't have the _patience_ to wait for it to work, James." Glynda interjected, arms crossed over her chest.

"Get off your high-horse. You're here because Oz wanted you here. He's the one who made you part of this battle." Qrow declared.

"And I am grateful -"

"Pfft. Some gratitude. Cutting Oz' legs out from under him. In bird culture, that's wildly considered a dick move."

"Your levity _isn't_ appreciated." Ironwood growled, "The people of Vale needed someone to protect them, someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe. And our enemies will feel our strength."

"No. They don't." Glynda shook her head, her tone grave. "They don't feel safe, they're wondering right now why a foreign leader has parked his army atop their Kingdom. They don't feel safe, James. They're waiting for the first strike of a new war."

Ironwood looked at her, reeling back as if struck by a blow.

"If Salem's cronies are scared of your little flying tin cans, then I'm the God of Darkness incarnate." Qrow drawled sarcastically. "I've been out there, I've seen the things she's made, the things she's _done_. She is fear incarnate."

"And that fear will inevitably bring the Grimm to our gates." Ozpin rose to his feet, snatching the attention of all three of his subordinates. "We need to rally our people behind a symbol of comfort. A Guardian. But this army, this symbol of conflict, has only sparked an energy in the air. A question that hangs over everyone now: If these are our defenses, what are we going to fight?"

* * *

Cinder paced back and forth, a deep frown etched on her face. Mercury's report was... disturbing, and meant one of two things. "You're sure?"

Mercury fished out his scroll from his back pocket. "Yeah, it was him. Bad hair. Used a broad sword and smelt piss drunk. Even got a vid of the whole spat."

The video recording of Qrow Branwen fighting the Atlas Specialist, causing significant damage to the courtyard and risking the lives of civilians in the process. 

Cinder returned to her pacing, deep in thought. When they had stolen the Fall Maiden's powers and killed her, they had captured Qrow Branwen in the process. The foolish Huntsmen had failed to save his charge, and Cinder felt that Salem would be very interested to hear what the man had to say. He was one of Ozpin's most trusted. Even more so than Leonardo Lionheart. The right hand, the right eye and spymaster. What secrets lurked inside his mind? Secrets Salem would pry out piece by agonizing piece.

When last Cinder saw the man, he was a pathetic shell of himself chained against a wall while Salem was taking personal charge of his interrogation. She had witnessed Salem employing a strange technique, one mimicked by the gauntlet Cinder had used to acquire the Maiden powers. But unlike Cinder, Salem required no Grimm proxy to perform her technique. And her intention wasn't to kill the man, but remake him.

Cinder watched as Salem cast her spells, each time ripping a fresh scream of agony from the Huntsman, and a fresh piece of his soul. An ephemeral sliver Salem would hold in her hand like a ribbon then disintegrate. Despite the unimaginable torment, he didn't break.

Oh, how Cinder wished she could have listened to him scream over and over again. Compensation for all the grief he caused, but she had a task to complete.

His presence at Beacon now implied two possibilities: The first being Salem had succeeded in her task. She had torn the soul away and reforged Qrow Branwen into an obedient servant of her whims. In which case, Cinder now had a new much more valuable ally here in Vale. One already working to their ends if that video was any indication. They could work with it for their future plans.

The second, and far less likely, possibility was that he had escaped from Salem's clutches. But Cinder doubted it. The last time she saw Qrow Branwen, he'd been reduced to a pathetic husk who couldn't even remember his own name. His very identity scoured from existence. And his ability to even move... sufficiently sealed.

"What do we do?" Emerald asked cautiously.

"Nothing for the time being. We stay the course for now, and observe the situation. It's quite possible we have nothing to worry about. But remember your escape plans. If our... _potential_ friend is with us or against us, we will find out in time." Cinder instructed them as she crossed the room to where her scroll sat on the table. "Besides, we've managed to amend the plan after the Grimm invasion."

"Failed, huh? Go figure. But I gotta wonder who screwed the pooch on that one?" Qrow Branwen said, leaning on the window sill. 

Emerald and Mercury jumped to their feet, ready for a fight. 

"Oh sit down, runts. Do you really think I'd announce myself so openly if I wasn't on your side?" The Huntsman crossed his arms and leaned against the window, he rapped his knuckle against the brass lock. "Also, word to the wise? Maybe check the window lock next time, you amateurs."

"But--" Emerald shot a disbelieving look to the window, the lock and then to Cinder and Mercury. "But I locked it. I made sure of that."

"Bad luck, huh? Well, then, sucks to be you." Qrow mused out loud.

"Ah, I see you've finally come around to our way of thinking, have you?" Cinder mused, taking him in with a certain level of perverse pride. An indifferent shrug was her reply.

Qrow was different. His _eyes_ were different. The same core of defiant bright red, but highlights of a rich purple. Cinder felt her lip curl into a slight smile. It appears that whatever corruption Salem had planted in the errant huntsman's being, it had swayed his loyalties completely to the Grimm Queen. The old expression was 'eyes were the window into the soul', and that corrupted soul was showing through nicely.

"The invasion wasn't supposed to happen until your big finale right? So, who dropped the ball there?" Qrow questioned again.

"Those stupid kids. Team RWBY." Emerald answered, following Cinder's lead.

Qrow nodded slowly crossing the room as if he owned the place and reclined in a desk chair. "Yeah, they tend to do that. So, I figure you've got yourself a new plan, right?"


	2. Deliberation

Cinder was positively delighted by this turn of events. 

Their new friend was giving them everything they wanted and more. And what's more, he was doing this of his own free will. A corrupted will to be sure, but of his own accord none the less. The newly minted Fall Maiden liked to believe that perhaps there was some aspect of the old Qrow Branwen was still locked away in the back of his mind. Trapped as a helpless observer in side his own body and coerced by Salem's machinations to destroy the Kingdom, the very world, he worked so fruitlessly to protect.

"A Harbinger, you say?" Cinder echoed, intrigued.

"A Harbinger? I don't get it, what's that mean?" Emerald tried to chime in but he wasn't even spared a glance.

"Hush, adults are talking." Qrow dismissed him quickly and continued on with his explanation. "The Nikos kid was at the epicentre of a huge Grimm outbreak about six years ago. Old man Oz was the one who lead the task force that neutralised her. Standard operation usually is to kill the thing on the spot. But the metamorphosis wasn't complete yet, it was only a partial awakening. Oz say it was fortunate he could get to the girl before she was fully corrupted by the Harbinger-class Grimm. And through certain means that even I don't know about, the old man managed to seal that power away. After that, he made arrangements for her to be trained so that he could one day wield Nikos' Harbinger powers as a weapon against Salem."

"Hold on, what exactly is a Harbinger? Can you explain that for us, please?" Emerald spoke out and Cinder glared at her,

"Be qui--"

"Only because you said 'please'. And I'm nice like that." Qrow cut the Maiden off and turned his full attention on the teenagers, "A Harbinger is a human that's been infested by a Grimm. A microscope parasite that functions like an infectious disease. 'Cept nearly everyone who contracts the virus Grimm tends to die most of the time and their corpses become a breeding ground for pestilence. But on the rare one-in-a-million chance the human host will merge with the Grimm, their human heart is consumed and they submit to the innate desire to destroy."

"... you mean, like the Chill? That old bed-time story?" Mercury tsked, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "Please, if you're going to tell us that crap's all real?"

"With the things you've seen in this world, Salem and Ozpin, Maidens and Magic - you don't believe a Grimm can possess a human?" The corrupted Huntsman raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, "Kid, you need to reexamine your priorities if that's the case. But I'll give you that one. That little childhood horror story, if anything, is a result of cultural drift. Harbingers are dangerous creatures, but their modus operandi doesn't deviate that much from Chill. Over the course of history, the two concepts have fused into one story." The Corrupt Huntsman crossed his arms and slouched, "Lesson over. Class dismissed."

"And does she still possesses a core?" Cinder inquired, feeling her excitement grow despite her earlier irritation at Qrow's impertinence. 

"Yeah. The metamorphosis wasn't complete, but a core managed to form. By my reckoning, it can be reawakened given the right external circumstances. According to the itinerary Oz had the Argusian trainers follow, a huge part of her training was mental focus and conditioning. Jury's out on how well that's stuck." The corrupt Huntsman concluded with a shrug, reclining in the desk chair as if he owned the place.

"Well then, that makes our plans much more interesting. With sufficient stress, we can destabilise her control, let her run rampant." Cinder mused out loud, moving to her scroll on the desk. 

"I still don't buy it," Mercury crossed his arms, glaring at the Huntsman. "Why should we even trust you? Last time I checked, you were trying to kill us just as much as we were tryin' to kill you. And suddenly, you're all pally with us? Get real."

The Huntsmen's red-and-purple eyes levelled at him blankly. "I can happily change that state of affairs if you'd like? If I wanted to, nothing and no one could stop me from gutting you with an honest to gods smile on my face."

Mercury shot to his feet, "Oh yeah?! Br-"

" _Quiet_." Cinder ordered sternly. Mercury gave her a look, nodded once and resumed his seat.

"Wonderful to see you've got your pets on a leash." Qrow drawled sarcastically.

Cinder ignored the comment despite the silent protest of her colleagues. "You do raise an interesting suggestion. But how can we be sure you're not deceiving us?"

"Its like you said, I've had a _change_ in perspective. I've been illuminated to certain truths and have come to realise this is the best way to see the Majesty's vision become reality." Qrow dismissed with a shrug, "And if you choose to reawakened the 9th Harbinger in Pyrrha Nikos, then doesn't that just add more ammo to play with in this little game of yours?"

Cinder allowed herself a privately amused smirked. From spitting, screaming and howling pointlessly defiant curses in the face of extreme torment to referring to Salem as 'Majesty'. Oh the Grimm Queen truly had done a number on him. He pushed himself off the chair and made his way to the dorm's door. "And when all's said and done, I'll lead you to the Beacon vault myself. Sound good? Good."

Qrow Branwen didn't wait for an answer when he opened and closed the door behind him. Emerald and Mercury exchanged looks with one another, and Cinder? Well, she had one more thing she wanted. It was something petty. An outside observer would call it base and immature, but for Cinder, it was a need to assert control. After all, he tried to deny Cinder what was rightfully hers, it was only natural she wished to remind him of his proper place in the order of things.

Cinder spotted Qrow Branwen not even five metres down the hallway. A smirk playing on her lips. 

"Qrow..."

He turned to look at her. His eyes had already returned to their base faded red colour. Some type of illusionary magic if Cinder was and judge. Perhaps bequeathed by Salem? Or was it a simple illusionary enchantment? 

"Why don't you join me later?" It was a statement more than a request. "We can... _celebrate_ your grand epiphany in a much more intimate way."

Celebration was the last thing on her mind. She wanted to dominate this man, this obstacle that dared stand in the way of her destiny. 

Cinder's hand stroked his stubble-coated chin. Applying a touch of the maiden's fiery magics to her fingers. A light sizzling emitted from the contact and smelt of burning flesh, mute warning that she was not to be denied.

"Cinder. Your offer is a tempting one. And believe you me, I truly understand what you're trying to do. But I want you to listen to me _very_ carefully." He pulled her hands gently from him and held them between them, apparently ignorant of the fire magic burning his palms. "If I wanted a greedy little whore, I'd _pay_ for one."

With that, he shoved Cinder aside hard like she was little more than a rag-doll as he rounded the corner. A categorical rejection. Anger surged through Cinder and she gathered fiery magic in her hand, forging it into a charcoal black sword ready to pierce through his spine until --

"Uncle Qrow!"

Damn her. Damn that Rose girl! Cinder extinguished the flame just in time and pressed her back against the hallway wall and out of sight. A second voice, that blond bitch of her sister, joined the first.

"Hey Uncle Qrow. Rubes and I were gonna head off for some lunch. Feel like grabbing a bite to eat?"

"I'm famished. Got any good food kiosks in the fairgrounds this year? Or is it same old?"

Their chatter faded and Cinder felt her rage reach boil, stewing in the insult to her pride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evil Qrow is evil. Also Pyrrha is going to be plot relevant. Yay!


	3. Capture

Qrow had failed. Amber had trusted him with her life and he failed her when she needed him most. Now the Fall Maiden's power had fallen into the wrong hands. One of Salem's minions had a posse of her own, and through use of some illusionary semblance, they hoodwinked him. 

He saw Amber's stallion gallop past him as he sped across the farmlands. Qrow cursed himself for allowing the girl out of his sight, and when he was upon them, his blade swung downward. Harbinger's keen edge slicing through whatever black icon bound the woman in red to Amber, siphoning her magic drop by drop. 

That was the first sense of wrongness, Harbinger was met with a heavier resistance than the thin string of black mucus would imply. He slashed at the attackers before catching Amber's limp body. To his shock, ethereal golden orange light ripped from Amber's body and rushed to the woman in red. The entirety of the Fall Maiden's power finding residence in its new home.

"That's not very nice. I thought you were supposed to be her guardian." Qrow looked about the illusionary figures and that's when the second sense of wrongness came to the fore. The coppery scent of blood that filled his nostrils and a stickiness that coated his hands. 

It was only when Qrow looked down at the unconscious Maiden that his heart froze, his stomach lurched and he understood the full extent of the travesty that had just occurred. Disgust, hatred and horror filled his being as he stared down at the headless corpse of his charge. Harbinger's blade was painted by a thick stripe of blood, and Amber's severed head had rolled a few feet away, her lifeless eyes wide and accusing through the spider web of scars. Her face frozen in an expression of horror and agony.

Some sort of illusion had warped his sight and veered his strike off target. Rather than saving Amber from her assailants, Harbinger's blade delivered her to a grisly fate. Qrow didn't have time to comprehend the magnitude of his crime - of his cataclysmic mistake - before searing flame licked at his skin. Amber's corpse ignited in the flames and burned in his arms and a hard thud, a pair of dull metal objects, collided against the back of his skull.

The next time Qrow awoke, he wasn't able to lament in his failure for long. His training and years of instinct demanded he identify everything he could about these new surroundings. He was deposited roughly on a cold stone floor, face pressed into the granite-like surface with clawed fingers, and his arms pinned behind his back. 

His wrists were bound together, the telltale sting on his wrists and the scent of scorched flesh told him at least his wrists were burnt. Testing and twisting the restraint told him it wasn't some iron manacle but one solid object. From the sound and the texture, it was… glass? 

Beyond the stench of his charred flesh, he could taste a distinct bitterness in the air but he couldn't place that stench. It smelt like a pack of Grimm had been circling the area for too long, an odor that could only be described as slow decay and entropy. 

"It seems our guest has finally awakened." A smooth voice purred, the claws that kept his face pressed to the ground shifted to grasp the scruff of his neck and hoist him painfully to his knees. 

Standing above him, hands regally clasped over her dress, was a monster. The Grimm Queen Salem smiled serenely down at Qrow, fear and disgust coiled in his guts as those dark crimson eyes bored into him. 

"Qrow Branwen." Salem greeted. "I've wished to meet you face to face for some time. The last thing I expected was my dear New Fall Maiden to deliver you right to my doorstep. I've had the pleasure of your dear sister's company, but that semblance of hers… a pesky little problem I should have foreseen."

The Witch Queen shook her head, tutting to herself. "She escaped my care, but no matter. I will ensure that the same does not happen a second time. From this point forward, I intend to give you my personal attention. I've had a number of different experiments, you see. I've come quite a long way, and I wish to demonstrate the fruits of my research."

Qrow glared up at the woman and snarled, "Go to hell."

"Oh my dear Fourth." Salem knelt down, and Qrow was sickened by her tender hand on his cheek. "I'm already there."

Her imperial image was restored when she straightened and focused her attention on the thing holding him down. "Take him to the lower chambers, my errant child requires special time and attention before he's ready to return to our family. Do be gentle with him."

Qrow finally got a good look at the thing, and his stomach churned. It was an eyeless lumbering beast in the vaguest approximation of a humanoid. Peg-like legs, disjointed like a goat's, a featureless black body that shifting and reformed like wax melting and hardening. Its head was less a head and more an extended maw of gnashing teeth that ground against each other, looped by strings of sickly yellow saliva.

The lumbering melting monstrosity of a Grimm snatched Qrow up like a ragroll and dragged him away, Salem's cruel smirk on him as the doors closed with a resounding boom.

* * *

For a supposed master spy, Qrow Branwen was shockingly easy to trail.

Winter's return to her Atlas posting was postponed by a last-minute reassignment. Such was the way of things in her chosen profession. The strange about this particular case was General Ironwood giving her the option to say no. He had laid out the task before her, and told her in no uncertain terms she was allowed to reject the assignment completely, with no repercussion.

The choice was unnecessary. Winter would perform the task she had been given, and she would perform it scrupulously. 

Weiss was particularly pleased to be seeing more of her, and Winter's feelings on that matter were mutual. However, Winter also lacked sufficient downtime to spend with Weiss. At best, they could manage fleeting conversations that lasted perhaps ten minutes at the most. The Specialist couldn't allow much more leeway than that.

For the next four days, the first round of the Vytal festival continued. Four student matches were held in the morning, each given a thirty minute time limit with a fifteen minute intermission between matches to clear out and restore the arena. In the evening, professional Huntsmen would engage in one-on-one or two-or-two rounds as entertainment.

Qrow spent the beginning of the day milling about the fairgrounds, interacting with students and admirers alike - Team STRQ were famous in their time, and even for some time after. His reputation often preceded him. Although Winter wondered how many of those admirers were born from witnessing his spat with her. 

In the evening whenever he wasn't accompanied by his nieces, he would predictably bar hop. Meeting up with fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses, swapping stories and tips in exchange for drinks, lien or favours. Most of the time when he wasn't attending to meetings with Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch, he would accompany his nieces whenever they weren't in the spectator stands: Yang and Ruby, her sister's teammates. 

Privately, Winter was astonished to witness his capacity to act like a mature and responsible adult while spending time with them. At least, on the surface. Maybe there was more to this drunken lunatic than she was willing to admit. 

It wasn't until the fifth night that there was a change in the observed routine. Qrow made his way to a garage in south Vale's Capital in the slums. And apparently, he'd used one of those favours accrued from a previous night's worth bar-hopping to hitch a ride with a Huntress.

The Huntress in question was Ana Splav, she was known in the Vale circle as being an engineering genius who directed autonomous drones to fight Grimm in her stead and something of a biking enthusiast. According to the mission board records, she had been attending to a long-term extermination mission in Mountain Glenn. From what Winter observed, Ana was very dismissive of Qrow Branwen's request while she prepped for her departure. Her evidently signature bike's engine roaring to life then purring on standby.

At least initially. 

It was then that Winter saw something, a glimmer of silver. It was a coin of some description passing between them. All she knew for certain was that coin wasn't Lien.

Whatever that token was, it must have been extremely significant value. As Ana's disposition completely changed when she saw it glimmering in his palm.

Ana allowed Qrow to mount her motor cycle after her and they had both sped off at illegal speeds.

Winter chose a more practical form of transport to make her way to the abandoned region. Military aircraft made regular patrols in that area and she used her authority to requisition use of one for her mission. she had read the after-action reports provided by the military, as well as the accounts of her sister and Team RWBY.

The recent Grimm invasion was confirmed to have come from the old train lines that connected the two cities. Though the Specialist was puzzled, she couldn't fathom what his reasons must be. Was his intention to investigate the area for security reasons? Or trying to gain an 'on-the-ground' perspective for where the Grimm invasion occurred? Or was there another assignment he was on unrelated to those presented on the bounty boards. Or did it that one of those favours involved trading mission assignments? Such a thing was... evidently common outside of Atlas. Huntsmen trading missions and assignments like they were collectors items.

When Winter arrived an hour later, she peered down at the ruins below with a grim expression.

Mountain Glenn was a desolate corpse of a place. Fitting for a region historians largely referred to as ‘The world’s largest’ tomb. And the light of the shattered moon only added to the dark dreary atmosphere. 

This place was once a bustling hub of commerce, expansion and symbolised hope. And now it was all skeletons of rusted iron and chipped concrete, interspersed by green and brown plant life that curled around the structures like gnarled fingers. As if Remnant’s greedy claws were determined to claim the abandoned structures as its own.

Winter had to be especially careful now. It was impossible to tell where Qrow Branwen would be. And while there were precious few signs of life outside the occasional Grimm, that meant there was just as much a chance that he would find her first. And that would lead to some very awkward explaining. She barely got two steps around the corner of this particular drag of main street before --

"So what did I do to earn the pleasure of your company, Specialist Schnee?" Qrow Branwen drawled behind her, Winter spun on her heel and glared at him. It was all she could do to cover the fact that he'd jumped her so completely.

Her hand went to her rapier's hilt in alarm, but it was clear the Huntsman had no interest in a fight for now. His arms were crossed over his torso and he leaned languidly against a concrete shopfront. Recovering quickly, Winter stood up straight. 

"That's classified." She declared in a firm tone and Qrow rolled his eyes.

"James' orders then. Eh, figures." He sighed, sounding more disappointed than alarmed, "Yeah, should've known. That pain in the ass --"

" _General_."

"--doesn't trust me as far as he can throw me right now, does he?" Qrow paused then frowned. "Let me guess, he got piss-y when I lipped off at him and he sent you alone to spy on me. I have to say, Schnee. For a 'specialist', you make a shitty spy. Not inconspicuous in the least. Even without the uniform, you'd stick out like a sore thumb from a mile away."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "I spotted you five days ago when I was with Ruby at the Kebab kiosk. You're too straight-laced to blend in convincingly, the wig didn't do you any favours either. So unflattering. Don't get me wrong, regiment and discipline are admirable traits, but they're more for vapid fops and yes-men in an Atlas noble's ballroom. You're just the wrong type of skill set for the environment, Schnee."

Winter grit her teeth and stood a little straighter, her hands clasped behind her back to affect her typical manner of professionalism. Even if she couldn't keep the irritation out of her tone. "In case you haven't been informed of recent events, this region was the inception site of the recent Grimm invasion that assaulted South Vale. I've been instructed to make an assessment of the area to ensure security of the Kingdom's borders."

The excuse was an easy one to rattle off, and sounded realistic enough. Even as Winter chafted at being chastised so. But it was clear her Huntsman counterpart didn't believe a word of it.

"Of course. Atlas wants to 'protect all of us' huh?" He pushed himself off the concrete and faced her directly. "Always butting in where you don't belong."

"I could say the same for you right now." Winter shot back haughtily, "This area is sealed off to unauthorised personnel."

"Yeah, you're outside your oh-so-precious jurisdiction, Icequeen. Try another line on me." He sauntered towards her, past her with his eyes set on the huge mountain that the city was named for, and the mountain top that marked the abandoned dust mine within.

"Perhaps you'd like to tell me what passed between you and the Huntress, Ana Splav?" Winter inquired firmly, figuring another line of questioning might work better.

"I don't really think you're in any position to be asking me questions, Ms Stalker." Qrow shot back, clearly only emphasising the last part to get a rise out of Winter. Her response was to grit her teeth.

He closed his eyes and shrugged with a slight smile curling his lips. "But, if you insist on knowing, I'm going to awaken the Wyvern in that cliff and place a Harbinger's core inside it to tame it. Hopefully, these long eons slumbering haven't driven it too far over the edge."

The frank confession took Winter off guard, and for a moment she thought he truly had gone mad. Or that she'd been struck by temporary insanity and misheard him. " _What_? What are you doing with a Harbinger core? Have you gone insane?!"

"Yeah. Actually. Would you like to know something?" Qrow offered with an oddly tranquil tone as he looked up at the heavens, his focus on the shattered moon.

The celestial sphere was at its fullest, appeared to be whole at this angle, and the shattered remnants being nothing more than interesting geological blemishes on its surface.

"James was right."

Winter blinked, then her eyes widened when Qrow looked over his shoulder at her. Haloed by the moon, his visage was all the more terrifying. His irises were no longer that shifting red, but a dark violet and his pupils were white. She looked down at his open palm, there was a strangle crystal there. A white-silvery thing that seemed like a lump of unrefined Dust. Its insides radiated with its own internal light. The facets within pulsed and shifted as though whatever was trapped inside was... alive.

It hummed with power. 

"When Amber was killed, I _was_ captured by Salem. She cut off my legs to make sure I wouldn't escape, then she took her time with me. Using her twisted magics to peel away layer after layer of my soul. My mind along with it." He turned and walked towards her, Winter took an involuntary step back and her hand went to her rapier once more. "Can you imagine it? Losing yourself piece by piece? Memories of your cherished loved ones vanishing on the whims of a demon witch?"

With a flash, the rapier was out and had struck down hard. Just as quickly the blow was parried and deflected by the broadsword at Qrow's back.

"You've gone insane. The General was right, you _are_ compromised.I cannot allow you to continue any further. By order of the Atlas Military, you're hereby under arrest."

Hundreds of questions were racing through Winter's mind: Who was Amber? Who was Salem? What was the power of that gem in Qrow's hand? And this Salem - Just what else was she capable of? Especially if she had turned a man like Qrow Branwen, a man that for all his faults was reported to be nothing but loyal to Ozpin, could be turned so completely against them. And what was this about cutting off his legs?! He was standing quite clearly and Winter had been around enough soldiers to tell when someone's limbs are prosthetic or not. 

With a sharp breath, Winter focused herself on the task at hand.

She would not get out of this battle unscathed, and she had no doubt her foe would simply allow her to leave after that frank confession.

"You think you can handle that? Schnee, you couldn't handle me when I was piss drunk. What makes you think you can handle me when I'm stone cold sober?" Qrow asked blankly, a thin black eye brow raised. 

"Do not underestimate me, nor the power of the Atlas military." Winter declared fiercely. 

"I don't see the military, I just see a woman whose in way over her head." Qrow declared, he closed his eyes and sheathed his sword. The gesture almost perfectly mirroring the one from their battle earlier in the week. "Lucky for you, I have no intention of hurting you. One; that'd waste my time with pointless and avoidable questions. Two; to obtain my objective, I need some semblance of autonomy."

"You talk as though you could take me down so easily, but I will not be defeated by the likes of you." Winter scoffed, "And precisely what _is_ your objective?" 

"That's not relevant, really." Qrow shrugged dismissively, "For now, my little confession is done. And you? Well... Sorry to say, I have to do some editing. And, regrettably, its not going to be pleasant." 

Winter lunged at him with a roar, but he made no motion to move. His lips simply creased into a smile and the gem in his hand unleashed a wave of power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you do, Qrow? I wonder.
> 
> Also what did Salem do to Qrow?

**Author's Note:**

> Well well well, whatever is Qrow doing with Cinder?


End file.
